"Wonderful"
Chuck Sligh
Series: Isaiah 9:6 - The Birth of the Almighty
December 1, 2013
A PowerPoint slide presentation of this sermon is available upon request at chucksligh@hotmail.com.
TEXT: Isaiah 9:6 – “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
INTRODUCTION
Illus. – Before the composer Mozart rose to fame, he was engaged to a young woman. She became disenchanted with him because he was so short. So she gave him up for someone taller and more attractive. When the world began to praise Mozart for his outstanding musical accomplishments, she regretted her decision. “I knew nothing of the greatness of his genius,” she said. “I only saw him as A LITTLE MAN.”
The Jewish leaders in Jesus’ day saw Jesus as only a “little man.” They didn’t recognize Him as the Messiah—and certainly not the “Mighty God.” However, hundreds of years before Jesus ever came to earth as a babe, the Old Testament prophet Isaiah saw Jesus for all He was and would be.
Isaiah was living in a dark time. For some 3,000 years the world had been getting worse. Kingdoms had arisen and fallen. Sin abounded everywhere, and God’s people had experienced great oppression. But far in the future, God allowed Isaiah a glimpse of hope of the coming Messiah.
Look back at verse 2: “The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.”
What was this light Isaiah saw? It was JESUS, whom the Apostle John would later call “the light of the world.” This revelation of the Messiah was like being in an awful storm on the ocean and seeing a ray of light in the distance piercing the clouds, portending hope, peace, rest.
Then in verse 6, Isaiah tells us about this great Messiah—whom we know as Jesus Christ. He says, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder…”
Through the telescope of prophecy, Isaiah saw 3 things about Jesus:
• He saw a CRIB: “unto us a CHILD is born” – He would be born a human.
• He saw a CROSS: “unto us a son is GIVEN” – Given by whom?—By God. Given for what reason?—To die for sinners on a cross!
• He saw a CROWN: “and the GOVERNMENT shall be upon his shoulder” – This is speaking of Christ’s kingdom that will be set up on this earth after the seven-year tribulation the Bible speaks about.
But Isaiah also saw something else: He saw what kind of person the Messiah would be by certain descriptive titles. Look at them: “…and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.”
My sermon this morning is the first of a series of sermons on these titles that we’ll examine in each of our Sunday morning services from now until Christmas.
Let’s look at the first one: “His name shall be called WONDERFUL.” The Hebrew word translated “wonderful” here means something indescribably great— something so awesome and amazing as to be BEYOND ALL DESCRIPTION. It speaks of that which GOES BEYOND HUMAN COMPREHENSION.
This morning I want us to see how Jesus is indeed “Wonderful” in every aspect. When I’m finished, I hope you’ll see how wrong those Jewish leaders were who saw Him as just a “little man” instead of the indescribably great person these titles describe.
I. SEE FIRST HOW JESUS WAS WONDERFUL FOR WHAT HE WAS IN THE PAST.
• Before ever coming to earth in His PRE-EXISTENCE, Jesus was incomparably wonderful.
He was of the same essence as God the Father and God the Holy Spirit—that is, He was co-equal to them in every way. He was “very God of very God.” He was perfect, holy, all-powerful, everywhere present, all-knowing. He was also ETERNAL—existing forever outside of time and space, and time does not permit us to name all the things Jesus was and is as very God.
• Second, Jesus was also wonderful in his birth on earth.
No one ever had a birth like Jesus had! Isaiah earlier prophesied in Isaiah 7:14 – “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
Here Isaiah said the Messiah would be born to a virgin, and Luke 1 tells us the story of how an angel came to Mary and told her she would give birth to the Messiah. Now, a meeting with an angel is pretty shocking in itself, but what the angel then told her was beyond anything she could have ever imagined. He said she would become pregnant, and that her baby would be the “Son of the Highest” who would reign in David’s throne (Luke 1:32). “How could this be?” she asked, since she had never been with a man. The angel said, “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.…with God nothing shall be impossible.” (Luke 1:35, 37)
The virgin birth was a MIRACLE OF GOD! But it was only one of several miracles surrounding His birth….
> There were several ANGELIC APPEARANCES to Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds.
> The TAXING ITSELF was a miracle, for it was the taxing of Caesar that brought Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem to fulfill the prophecies in the Old Testament that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.
> There was the MIRACULOUS STAR that led the wise men to Jesus, and THE DREAMS they had in which they were instructed not to report to Herod where they had discovered Jesus.
> There were THE DREAMS Joseph had telling him to flee to Egypt to save Jesus’s life, and then to return to Israel two years later.
EVERYTHING about the birth of Jesus was WONDERFUL!
• Jesus was also wonderful IN HIS LIFE.
No one EVER lived a life like Jesus did! Even as a child, He was wonderful. – He confounded the teachers in the temple with His wisdom and knowledge. When He began His public ministry, He taught as no man ever taught. – Even Christianity’s harshest critics still recognize the transcendence of Jesus’ teachings.
Jesus healed the sick; exercised authority over demons; turned water into wine; calmed storms; walked on water; raised the dead. He loved the unlovely, had compassion on all people, and had mercy on the most wicked and vile of men and women, and was a friend of sinners. He never uttered an evil word, entertained an evil thought, or did an evil deed. He was totally without sin.
NEVER was there a more wonderful life lived like the life of Jesus!
• Jesus was also wonderful IN HIS DEATH.
We see this in Isaiah 53, where Isaiah foresaw Jesus’ death hundreds of years before He even came to earth.
In verses 4-6, Isaiah prophesied about the Messiah: “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”
Every person who lives must die someday because of sin. But Jesus, who was God, didn’t HAVE to die. We die because of sin; Jesus—free from all sin—died, not because He HAD to—but because He WANTED to. Why?—Because Jesus loves us!
Jesus said in John 15:13 – “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
John puts it this way in 1 John 3:16 – “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us…”
NOBODY in history EVER lived and loved and died so wonderfully!
• Jesus was also wonderful IN HIS RESURRECTION.
His earthly life BEGAN with miracles, and ENDED with the greatest miracle of all. No person—no matter how great, wise, or powerful—ever did such a thing—nor COULD do such a thing.
> BUDDHA is said to have taught great things—but he never rose from the dead by his own power.
> MUHAMMAD conquered vast tracts of land by murder and terror—but his body now lays a dead corpse in a mausoleum in Mecca right now.
> Great men and women, good and bad, have come and gone, but no one ever raised Himself from the dead—EXCEPT Jesus Christ.
Yes, Jesus was wonderful in His past—in His pre-existence, in His birth, in His life, in His death, and in His resurrection but…
II. JESUS IS ALSO WONDERFUL FOR WHAT HE IS IN THE PRESENT.
What is Jesus in the PRESENT?
• First of all, He’s a wonderful SAVIOR.
Jesus didn’t come to earth to live and die and rise from the dead for no reason. He did all that to be the Savior of sinners—and ALL of us are sinners!
This was His purpose from the day He entered time and space on this earth.
> His very name—Jesus—means “Savior.”
> The angel told Joseph about Mary’s pregnancy: “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: [Why?] for he shall save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21)
> On the hillsides outside Bethlehem, the angels announced to the shepherds: “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:11)
> John said, “And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.” (1 John 4:14)
Jesus came to be a SAVIOR. That’s why He came to this world, and that’s why He died on the cross. He died to save you from your sins.
Paul put it this way in 1 Timothy 1:15 – “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.”
Oh, what a wonderful Savior He is!
But let me get a little personal now and ask you frankly: Is he YOUR Savior? To know that Christ came to save sinners in the general sense DOES YOU NO GOOD if you’ve not received Him as your Savior PERSONALLY.
Illus. – Bill Gates can put a billion dollars in your bank account, but it won’t do you one bit of good if you don’t AVAIL yourself of it and DRAW money from that account.
You can know all ABOUT Jesus you want to—you can know WHO He is, WHY He came, WHERE He traveled, WHO He dealt with, and WHERE He is now. But it’s not enough to know ABOUT Him; you have to know Him personally. You can do that by turning to Him and asking Him to save you today.
• Not only is Jesus a wonderful Savior, He’s also a wonderful FRIEND.
No one ever had a friend like Jesus!
> When I have been at my lowest low; in my deepest trial; at my most discouraging and disheartening—my friend Jesus has always been there! When people face heartache and disappointment and sorrow and despair, I don’t know how they get along without Jesus in their lives!
> When we go through trials, sometimes people don’t understand what we’re going through—but Jesus does, because He’s been there just like we have.
He understands. Listen to what Hebrews 4:15 says “For we do not have a high priest who cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but [he] was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”
No wonder Peter says, “casting all our care on Him, for He careth for you.” He knows what you’re going through and He cares and He’s always a friend to run to in time of trouble.
This is what the songwriter had in mind when he wrote:
What a friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry, Ev’rything to God in prayer!
Oh, what peace we often forfeit, Oh, what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry, Ev’rything to God in prayer!
Jesus is a friend like no other friend also because no matter what, He will never forsake you if you are his child. Proverbs 17:17 says, “A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”
I’ve been in my worst hour when my human friends were not there for me. I remember one situation when people I THOUGHT were my friends didn’t speak up in my behalf when I most needed their help. That stung me deeply. I found out they were not really my friends after all.
But Jesus has NEVER let me down! He’s ALWAYS been there for me, even when I wasn’t faithful to Him. What a WONDERFUL FRIEND we have in Jesus!
Jesus is wonderful for what He has been in the PAST and for what He is in the PRESENT as a Savior and a Friend.
III. FINALLY, JESUS WILL BE WONDERFUL IN THE FUTURE
The day will come, folks, when the One who died and rose again will come again! Oh, what a wonderful time that’ll be for us who are saved! We’ll see Christ face to face, and how wonderful He’ll be to us THEN! We’ll bow at His wonderful feet, listen with rapture to His wonderful voice, and bask in His wonderful presence.
But that’ll not be the end of our wonder at what Jesus will be in the future. In fact, that’ll just be the BEGINNING of wonderful future events in store for us!...
• First there will be a great feast in heaven and Jesus will be the guest of honor and He’ll shine as the morning star.
• Then there’ll be the marriage of Christ to His church, and Jesus will seem all the more wonderful than we ever dreamed.
• Then after the Tribulation, Jesus will come to earth in the Glorious Appearing. He’ll come this time to take vengeance upon His enemies. They’ll flee at His coming, but there’ll be no place for them to hide.
• Jesus will be incomparably WONDERFUL as He rides to earth on a white horse to defeat the forces of Satan—and we’ll watch in awe and WONDER.
• Then Jesus will set up His Kingdom on earth for 1,000 years as the prophets foretold. – His reign will be wonderful beyond imagination!— The lion will lie down with the lamb. The earth will be at peace for the first time since the Garden of Eden. There will be perfect justice and equity upon the earth.
• Finally, after His Millennial reign on earth, Christ will destroy this heaven and earth and create a new heaven and a new earth and the saved will live forever with Jesus in the New Jerusalem and the new heaven and the new earth.
Think of the surpassing WONDER of Jesus Christ! Trying to find adequate words to describe Him is an exercise in futility! That’s why I love that praise song we sing sometimes:
You are beautiful beyond description, too marvelous for words,
Too wonderful for comprehension, like nothing ever seen or heard.
Who can grasp Your infinite wisdom?
Who can fathom the depths of Your love?
You are beautiful beyond description, majesty enthroned above.
Listen… Jesus was wonderful before we ever existed in the vast eons of eternity and He was wonderful in His birth, life, death and resurrection in the PAST. He is a wonderful Savior and friend in the PRESENT. And He will be the wonderful Lord and King of the FUTURE.
CONCLUSION
Now let me ask you: Is Jesus wonderful to you?
• If you will believe in Him as your Savior, you’ll discover how truly wonderful He is.
He’s no “little man”; He’s the most wonderful person in this universe! And He’s big enough to cleanse you of sin and give you purpose and meaning in life! Give your life to Him today!
Today, tell God you’re sorry for your sin and tell Him you are trusting in His work on the cross to pay for your sins in your place. He’ll do it and that’s another thing that’s wonderful about Him: No matter what you have done, or how bad you’ve been—He will accept you and forgive you.
He said in John 6:37b – “… him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” Come to Him and believe in Him and He’ll save you and change you.
• If you’re a follower of Christ already—you already know Jesus is wonderful! But maybe His wonder has faded in your life for some reason.
> SIN will cause that. – Confess your sin to Christ today and be restored to the wonder of our wonderful Savior and Lord Jesus Christ.
> LETTING THE CARES OF THIS WORLD OVERTAKE YOUR LIFE will do it also. For just awhile, why don’t you turn off your TV and your video games and your computer and open God’s book, and start re-reading God’s love letters.
Start re-reading His instructions for life, His help for your problems, and His encouragement for your troubles and trials. Why don’t you spend some time in prayer and contemplation of His glorious wonder until the wonder of His presence returns anew in all His glory in your life; until you stand in awe of Him again! God help us to STOP for awhile this Christmas, and FOCUS on the One who made Christmas possible—He whom Isaiah calls “WONDERFUL.”
He’s no “little man”; He’s great beyond our wildest imagination. And He deserves our attention this Christmas. And He deserves all our commitment and devotion to Him. He deserves our very lives in service to Him.
